Brief Online Self-help Exercises for Postnatal Women to Improve Mood: A Pilot Study

OBJECTIVES: Giving birth and adjusting to a new baby can be difficult and stressful for new mothers. Negative mood may occur during this time and can affect women, their parenting and the infant's development. This pilot study evaluated a brief online self-help intervention designed to promote positive mood in mothers of babies and toddlers. METHODS: Women in the UK who had given birth within the previous 18 months were randomly allocated to the online self-help intervention (n = 40) or active comparison group exercise (n = 40) which was matched for time and structure. Mood was measured before and after the intervention. Acceptability was examined at the end of the trial. RESULTS: The self-help intervention was acceptable to the majority of women and significantly increased positive mood compared to the comparison condition. This effect persisted after controlling for self-esteem, anxiety and depression. These results suggest that a simple self-help intervention focused on changing beliefs about oneself as a mother can have an immediate impact on women's mood. CONCLUSIONS FOR PRACTICE: Further research is need to see whether these improvements continue long-term and what processes underlie these improvements

Developing resilient responding in adolescents exposed to domestic violence : an IPA study of experiences in an intervention project

Adolescents' experiences of receiving therapeutic support as a result of witnessing domestic violence. has been under-researched. This study aimed to fill a gap in the literature and explore how adolescents' experiences of therapeutic practice could help inform theory regarding the building of resilience. Objective This study aimed to address the following research question: 'How do adolescents, aged 12-16, experience the process of being supported by a charity after being exposed to chronic domestic violence in the family home?' Method A qualitative methodology utilising semi-structured interviews was used. Six adolescents (3 boys and 3 girls) who had been exposed to domestic violence and experienced a supportive intervention at a charitable organisation were interviewed. Interviews were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (Smith, Flowers & Larkin, 2009). Two focus groups, with additional young people, were conducted. These were credibility checks for the development of the semi-structured interview, and the quality assurance of the analysis. Results Four [FA master themes emerged: ( 1) 'the development of personal survival strategies and their ongoing legacy'; (2) ' developing and understanding personal psychological processes that facilitate resilient responding'; (3) ' feeling emotionally safe in relationships'; and (4) 'having a voice'. All themes demonstrated the effects on attachment strategies of having had a secure base at the charitable organisation.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo